Grain-drier



H. C. ELLIS.

GRAIN DRIER.

. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2. I919. 1,331,983. Patented Feb. 24,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. C. ELLlS.

GRAIN DRIER. APPLICATION FILED lAN.2,1919.

Patented Feb. 24,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. C. ELLIS.

GRAIN DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2- 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented Feb. 24,1920.

. IINITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. IIUBEn'r c. ELLIS, or EvA IsToN,ILLInoIs, Assrenon TO ELLIS DRIER a IELIIVATOR coMrANY, OF CHICAGO, INoIs, aooRroRAT oN or WISCONSIN.

GRAIN-DRIER.

1 b aZZwh'om it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT C. ELLIs, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Driers, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description. 1 p 1 Theinvention relates to grain driers.

One object of the invention is to provide a grain drier which is adaptedfor installation in one of a series of circular grain bins of usualconstruction. In recent years, the circular grain bin has gone into useand the present invention provides a. grain drier which is adapted forinstallation in one of such bins.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved grain drierin which the constituents are arranged so as to minimize friction lossescaused by bends and angles in'theexhaust and supply passages be: tweenthe drier andthe fan.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter setforth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings; Figure 1 is a sideelevationof the improved drier, thegrain bin in which the drier is located being shownin section. Fig. 2 isa plan, the bin being shown in section. Fig. 3v isa section taken online 33 of Fig. 4 and Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 44 ofFig. 1. 4

The improved drier is illustrated as embodied in one of a monolithicseries of grain bins, having an annular surrounding concrete wall 5, abase 6 and a bulk-head 7. The compartment a above the bulk-head isadapted to contain a pair of drier sections 8 and the compartment 5below the bulkhead is adapted to contain a pair of cooler sections 9.These sections may be of any suitable construction, as exemplified bythe grain drier set forth in Letters Patent of the United States No.1,127.96 1 which is of the vertical shaft type. Each drier and coolersection comprises a series of vertical grain shafts 10 and intermediatetransverse inlet lines 11 and outletfiues 12 arranged so that the airwill be forced from the inlet flues through the grain shafts 13 and intothe outlet fines, the inner sides of said fines bein open to the grainshafts. The grain shafts in the drier sections are vertisections.

Specification of Letters Patent. t t 24, 192 Application filed January2, 1919. Serial No. 269,366.

cally alined with the shafts in-the cooler to cause the grain to flowunder usual contrcl from the drier section to the cooler sections. Sincethe details of these sections form no part of the present invention,further description is not deemed necessary.

A characteristic of the drier which adapts it for installation in acircular grain bin is that, the sections 8 are convergent so that theaggregate area of the outer ends of the sections and the intermediateair chamber 14 will be less adjacent. the circular wall of ing walls 17and 18 are formed betweenthe sections toform a convergent chamber 19between them. Louvers'20 in desired number are formed in the annularwall 5 to regulate the escape of airv which has passed through the driersections 8 from the chamber a and louvers 21 in suitable number areformed'in the wall 5 below the bulkhead? to regulate the admission ofair, into the chamber 5 below the bulk-head from which air is drawnthrough the cooler sections 9 into the chamber 19.

A fan 22, mounted on the base 6, is disposed in the compartment 1) andis mounted so that its axis will be alined with the center of thechamber 19 between the cooler A suitable inlet trunk 23 leads from theinner side of said chamber to the eye 24 of the fan. This provides adirect passage from the chamber 19. As a result, the air will passdirectly from the chamber 19 into the eye 241 of the fan. An outlettrunk-25 is connected to the supply chamber 14 by a duct 26 whichextends vertically through the bulk-head 7 and thence horizontally tosaid chamber 1 1. The fan outlet 30 is inclined to direct the blast intothe duct 26 without sharp bends or corners. A suitable heater 27 isdisposed in the duct 26 to heat the'air supplied to the drier.

In operation, the fan 22 will draw air from the compartment Z) in thebin below the bulkhead through the grain in the cooler sections 9 intothe common chamber 19 between them and through the trunk 23 and into theeyeof the fan; The air thus drawn into the fan will be forced throughthe duct 26, bein heated in transit therethrough, into the convergentsupply cham:

ber 14- between the drier sections 8 from which the air will be forcedthrough the flues and grain in "said sections into the compartment 0; inthe bin above the bulkhead.

i As the result of the arrangement of con vergent chambers between thedrier and cooler sections, the apparatus is adapted for installation ina grain bin of usual construction. Another characteristic of thisconstruction is that the fan is disposed so that its eye faces or isopposite theisu'ction cham- 'ber 19 and the air is directly dischargedinto supply duct 26 which is alined opposite the supply chamber '14 andthe air is forced through the ducts in such a way as to lessenatmospheric resistance. This arrangement of fan and suction ducts isalso of advantage Where it is desired to install a grain drier in anyplace Where compact arrangement is desirable. The term drier as usedherein is to be understood as comprehending a cooler. I

The invention is not to be understoodas restricted to the details setforth, since these may be modified within thescope of the appendedclaims, without departing from the spirit and. scope of the invention.

Having thus described the inventiomwhat I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a grain drier, the combination of a plurality of drier sectionshaving convergent sides, an air chamber between and connected to saidsides, and means connected to said chamber for forcing'air therethrough.

2. Ina grain drier, the combination of a 45. In a grain drier, thecoinbination with an annular inclosing structure, of a drier comprisingsections having sides convergent from the center to the outer. portionof the structure, an air chamber between and connected to saidsections,and means -connected to said chamber for forcing air through thesections. v

5. In agrain' drier, the combination with an annular inclosingstructure, of a -drier comprising sections having sides convergent fromthe center to the outer mmneum structure, transverse inlet and.-' outletand grain shafts, an air chamber between and connected to said sectlons,and means connected to said chamber for forcing airthrough the sections.r

6. In a grain drier, the combination with an annular inclosing structureof drier "and cooler sections having sidesconvergent from the center tothe outer portionof the structure, a bulk-head in the structure betweenthe drier and cooler sections, an airchamber between and connected tosaid "sections, and meansconnecte'd to said chamber for forcing airthrough the drier and cooler sections.

- l mennir c. ELLIS.

